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Patty Fox, another local mother
interested in Waldorf, was disap-
pointed to read that the workshop
had taken place while she had been
backpacking, but her sister-in-law,
Jennifer Fox, a founder of the City of
the Lakes Waldorf School in Minne-
apolis, was coming to visit. She knew
the Queridos and arranged for a
lunch meeting. Patty, Jennifer, Merlyn
and Rene sat on the Pour la France!
patio chatting amiably about Waldorf
education when Rene said pointedly
to Patty, “You could start a school
here! This is the home of the Goethe
Bicentennial. A Waldorf school would
thrive.” It was the call of destiny.
Led by Patty and Jim Fox, Betsy and
Bill Engelman, Barbi and Doug
Sheffer, and Karinjo DeVore, the
Friends held public lectures (with love-
ly refreshments and careful décor) to
educate public school teachers, school
board members and especially the
general public about Waldorf educa-
tion. Joan Condon, Cheryl Mulholland
and Bill Fordham, teachers from the
Denver Waldorf School, and Betty
Staley and Rene Querido from RSC
spoke to audiences that sometimes
numbered over a hundred.
In January of 1991, the Friends formal-
ly proposed a public-private partner-
ship to the Aspen School District.
The new Aspen Elementary School
would provide the space and we
would provide the salary and supplies
for a trial Waldorf first grade. With
hand-painted personal invitations, we
continued to encourage the public
school teachers to attend workshops
and dinners but only two teachers,
Peter Westcott and Anita Strickbine,
Patty met Karinjo, who introduced
her to Betsy Engelman, another
Waldorf enthusiast. The three women
were galvanized and in August, Patty
enrolled in an introductory course at
RSC. She returned inspired to share
Waldorf ideas at the local college that
fall and when Ideas from the Waldorf
Kindergarten ended, an ad hoc com-
mittee, Friends of Waldorf in Aspen,
was formed. It was as if the Angel
of the Aspen Waldorf School began
whispering in the Friends’ ears but the
thought of starting a private school
was daunting and elitist. A new
elementary school was being built.
Couldn’t we sponsor a Waldorf track
within it which parents could choose?
The first public Waldorf school was
opening in Milwaukee. It would be
our model.
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